Opportunity, Cronyism, and Conservative Reform
Apr 30, 2014
It is always a privilege to be back at the Heritage Foundation, the heart of America’s conservative movement. And it is to that broad, diverse movement that I have come to speak today about an issue with the potential to unify and revive our coalition.
Meeting with Utah's Business Leaders to End our Opportunity Crisis
Apr 25, 2014
This week I was able to meet with the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Governors for the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.
I posted this picture to my Facebook page, and an interesting discussion followed:
If you read through the comments, you will see that many of my followers were concerned that the unemployment figures that were cited were inacurrate. I recognize that on a national level many Americans are struggling to find work, and when you calculate the low percentage of Americans that are participating in the workforce, it is clear that there is widespread failure in our economy to create the opportunities that many Americans are looking for. This opportunity crisis is one of the primary reasons why I have introduced my conservative reform agenda. One of the reasons why I am confident that these proposals will work is that they return much of the responsibility of governing away from Washington and back to state and local governments. Utah is outperforming the nation in many key areas when it comes to addressing our opportunity crisis, and I would like to see this success replicated across the country.
Utah Public Land Summit
Apr 25, 2014
On Friday, April 18, I joined a group of lawmakers and policy makers from eight Western states in a summit to build support for the transfer of federal land back to the states. After attending the summit it is clear that momentum is building for public land transfer across the West, and I will continue to work to educate Americans across the country about the burdens of excessive federal land ownership. Here are some social media highlights of the summit:
Update from Senator Fielder - Western Lawmakers Get Serious About Transferring Federal Lands to States.... pic.twitter.com/UGhgJx4JQZ
— Jennifer Fielder (@SenatorFielder) April 23, 2014
Watch and RT: @KenIvoryUT on the @GlennBeck Show Discussing #TransferPublicLands: http://t.co/mDCD1O99Bh #utpol #BiggerThanBundy
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) April 22, 2014
@SenMikeLee addressed 9 States (NM, AZ, NV, WY, OR WA, UT, ID, MT) to #TransferPublicLands @KenIvoryUT @DLoesch http://t.co/dmsVK758mG #tcot
— Pacificrk (@pacificrk) April 19, 2014
@SenMikeLee addressed 9 States (NM, AZ, NV, WY, OR WA, UT, ID, MT) to #TransferPublicLands @KenIvoryUT @DLoesch http://t.co/USwpQWTi7h #tcot
— Darin Bushman (@darinbushman) April 20, 2014
Post by Yvette Herrell.
Meeting with Utah's Students
Apr 22, 2014
For the last ten days, I have been actively traveling around the state meeting with Utahns. I held two town hall meetings last week. I have also met with business leaders, local officials, and various civil institutions. In addition to this active schedule, I also had the chance to meet with students at Ogden High School, Brighton High School, and Salt Lake Community College. Here are some highlights from these visits:
Meeting with students in Ogden
Meeting with students at Brighton High School
Today I taught the Brighton High School U.S. Government class. A student asked why I don't vote with my party 100% of the time. It was nice to see that they are paying attention to the voting records of their elected officials.Meeting with Salt Lake Community College
I enjoyed participating in the "Pizza and Politics" event at Salt Lake Community College today. I also appreciate those who participated in our discussion on higher-education reform.
The U.S. Government teachers at Brighton High School
Support Growing for Criminal Justice Reform: My Visit with Sheriff Winder
Apr 22, 2014
Today I had the opportunity to meet with Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder. Among the several things we discussed, I wanted to make sure he was aware of my efforts to reform our criminal justice system with the Smarter Sentencing Act. He was supportive of my efforts, and I am committed to passing these reforms out of the Senate:
If you want to learn more about why criminal justice reform is overdue, a new article in The American Conservative outlines the bipartisan consensus that is building to pass these reforms: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/conservative-sentencing-reform-politically-savvy-morally-right/
Recap of Mobile Office Visit to Sanpete County
Apr 11, 2014
ON April 10 my mobile office visited Nephi, Gunnison and Mt. Pleasant. During these visits members of my staff met with local residents and city officials to open a dialogue about the issues that are most important to them. Several law enforcement officials shared their concerns about tensions that exist between local law enforcement officials and federal law enforcment officials from agencies such as ICE and the BLM. My staff also learned about trucking regulations that were having an impact on a local small business. Local officials also took the time to showcase some of their local facilities and historical sites. I appreciate the feedback that was relayed to me by my staff from those who took the time out of their busy day to connect with my office.
Crony Capitalism and the Export-Import Bank
Apr 9, 2014
The American economy is the envy of the world, primarily because it is still seen as a place where anyone – regardless of who you are or where you come from – can work hard, play by the rules, and succeed.
That belief is predicated on the notion that America has a thriving, competitive and free enterprise economy in which the best ideas and hardest workers win the day, while those who are less successful always have a fair chance to try again.
Lee’s Opening Statement at Comcast-Time Warner Hearing
Apr 9, 2014
Today Senator Mike Lee delivered the following opening statement in the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Hearing on the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger.
Senator Lee praises the Utah National Guard's 1-211th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion
Apr 8, 2014
Senator Lee praises the Utah National Guard's 1-211th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion and discusses his concerns about transferring Apache helicopters out of the National Guard.
Lee Plans to Offer Amendment to End Comp-Time Discrimination Against Private-Sector Employees
Apr 8, 2014
When the Senate moves to the Fair Pay Act, Senator Mike Lee plans to propose an amendment that would give private-sector employers the ability to offer their employees the option of compensation time or overtime pay.
